Where do you go for the best pho in Pierce County? Vote here
It’s soup season, but around Puget Sound, it’s always a fine time for a piping-hot bowl of phở.
We are fortunate to have a few dozen restaurants in Pierce County specializing in Vietnamese cuisine and its noodle soup — one that likely became what we know today only in the late 19th and early 20th century, as the French colonized Vietnam. The word pho is thought to be connected to the French “feu,” as in fire.
Essential to the nuanced beef broth is both the charring of onion and ginger and hearty knuckle and neck bones. Some chefs incorporate the likes of marrow and oxtail, among other secrets — time, fat, yellow rock sugar. In the north, it’s less common for bowls to be accompanied by a plate of Thai basil, cilantro and bean sprouts.
No matter how you take it, the broth should be somewhat translucent while still managing to carry your taste buds through unexpected layers of savory, peppery warmth.
In honor of the upcoming Lunar New Year — Feb. 11 in the year of the dragon — we have gathered almost 50 restaurants in and around Tacoma below. Who makes the best pho in town? Vote for your favorite in our poll.
If we missed your pick, please select “somewhere else” and write-in your selection. You can also share a missing restaurant or more pho thoughts in the Google Form below.
This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 5:00 AM.